The First Summer
by Ice-Song
Summary: A preshow fic. It's a story about when Jake first learned that he was a dragon and about the magical world and how to transform and so on.
1. Chapter 1

Jake yawned widely at his desk and blinked up at the teacher who was now looming over him. The teacher, known as Mrs. Wart to the students and known as Mrs. Warnter to everyone else glared at her sleepy pupil. "Decided to join us, Mr. Long?" she asked in a pinched voice.

The class buzzed and Jake reclined easily in his chair and grinned at his 6th grade homeroom teacher. "Yeah, for a bit," he answered cheekily.

The class laughed outright at this and Mrs. Warnter glared at him. Jake shrugged and leaned forward, resting his chin in his open palm. He avoided her glare for a minute until the bell rang in the hallway. Then he and the rest of the class jumped up from their seats and discreetly ran towards freedom. "Mr. Long?" Jake groaned as he heard his name called from the back of the room.

Trixie and Spud shot him apologetic glances as he stopped and slowly turned around. "I'll get your stuff," Trixie said softly. "Just get outside as soon as you can, boy. Or Spudinski and I'll leave you here."

"Okay and thanks," Jake murmured back and returned to where Mrs. Warnter was waiting for him. He smiled as brightly as he could and stepped in front of her desk. "Yeah?"

Mrs. Warnter glared at him over thick, oval shaped spectacles and cleared her throat. "I am well aware that the subject of ancient Sumerian pottery isn't appealing to everyone, Mr. Long. However, your continued disruption of my class ends here today."

"Hey, that's whack," Jake complained. "I'm not disrupting anything and I get 'B's' on your tests too."

"Very low 'B's'," Mrs. Warnter replied. "And that isn't the matter at hand here. You don't pay attention and spend most of the time sleeping or drawing in your notebook. You may not be the only one but you're still doing it. If I catch you again you will receive a detention. Am I clear?"

"Yeah," Jake sighed.

"You may leave," she said finally and Jake bolted out of the room.

He ran outside and waved to Trixie and Spud who were both standing at the bottom of the steps on their skateboards with their helmets in hand. "Ready to hit the halfpipe?" Trixie asked.

"And hope it doesn't hit back?" Spud added with an airy grin on his face.

"Totally," Jake sighed and took his skateboard and helmet from Trixie's outstretched hands. "Where should we go?"

"I was thinkin' 5th street, but you can pick since you got caught," Trixie offered.

Jake laughed and quickly put on his helmet and began to skate away from school. "Not yet," he said. "I did get 'warned.'"

Trixe snorted. "Pft, boy, warnings only count with parents and instruction manuals," she said saucily and pushed her own board forward to catch up with Jake.

"Yeah, like when the book says 'do not put in microwave' they know what they're talking about," Spud said wisely from Jake's left. Jake and Trixie both glanced at him awkwardly, wondering if they should ask what exactly he had put into the microwave, then decided they were better off not knowing.

"So, where to?" Trixie asked again.

"5th street is fine," Jake replied. "I just wanna skate and it's close."

"Aiight with me," Trixie said with a grin. "How 'bout you, Spuddy boy?"

"I don't care. When you've fallen down one half pipe you've fallen down them all," Spud replied.

"Spud, you have fallen down them all," Jake pointed out as they made their way towards the park.

Spud began to count on his fingers. "Let's see… 5th street, Parkway, that one on Reynold's ave… 5th street… 23rd, 5th…" he looked down at his hand and saw that he had three fingers open and scratched his head. "Uh… huh, yeah I guess you're right."

Trixie rolled her eyes and Jake laughed as they skated into the park. "Maybe you can fall down every half pipe in New York. Get the 'I've fallen in every skate park in the city' award," she said sarcastically.

"Maybe," Spud replied. "Is there a trophy or something for doing that?"

"I think she was kidding," Jake said quietly.

"Aww, too bad. I like trophies," Spud told them matter of factly as they set their backpacks down by a tree and skated over to where the obstacles started. "They're shiny."

"We know," Trixie and Jake told their friend.

Jake was the first to point his skateboard down into the impression that made up the first part of the skating park. He smoothly went down and arced around on the other side before turning slightly to see if Trixie and Spud had entered. They both did at the same time and maneuvered in it just as easily as Jake. Jake grinned and turned his board around in order to catch up with his friends. There was only a few more years until High School and all the tests that they were going to have to take in order to get into college. Not that he cared much, but at the moment it was nice to be able to just spend time with his friends and not worry about anything.

* * *

Jake walked into his house and shut the door quietly. He yawned and dropped his things by the stairs before walking into the kitchen. His mom was dashing about the kitchen, checking on things in the oven, refrigerator and on the stove. He waved and prepared to walk back out of the kitchen before his mother stopped him and waved him over. "Uh… what's up?" Jake asked as he steered clear of anything that looked like it was supposed to be edible.

His mom smiled tiredly and shrugged. "I have a big catering order for tomorrow afternoon and I need to work through the morning. Can you take Haley to school and bring her home in the afternoon and watch her until I get home?"

"Aww…mo-" Jake began but she held up a hand to stop his whining.

"Jake, sweetie, please. It's a huge order and I need all the help I can get. It's just one day. One day won't kill you, will it?" his mom looked at him with pleading eyes and Jake immediately felt bad that he didn't want to help.

Jake sighed and tried to adopt his cool bravado, as if he had no intention of declining her request. "Yeah, sure," he said smoothly.

"Thanks," she said and pulled Jake into a quick hug. Jake felt her arms wrap around his shoulders and he winced as she pulled back. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Did you fall today?"

Jake shook his head quickly and held up his hands. "No, no," he said quickly before his mom could start on how skateboarding was dangerous and how he didn't take enough precautions when he skated. "My back has kinda been a little… sore. It's fine, really. I probably just slept weird or something."

His mom gave him an odd glance then shook her head. "All right then, thanks for the help. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Go tell your sister to wash up and get ready. You too," she added as an afterthought.

"Okay," Jake said and ducked out of the madhouse that was the kitchen. He quickly ran up the stairs and knocked loudly on Haley's bedroom door. "Haley, dinner," he said simply and quickly went into his own room and fell onto his bed, face first.

Haley stuck her head into Jake's room and grinned broadly. "Aren't you going to get cleaned up?"

"Soon," Jake told her from his bed. "I'm just gonna chill here for a minute if it's all right with you, mom," he said with a little edge to his voice.

Haley shrugged and backed out of her irate brother's room. "Fine, fine," she said quietly. "I'm just making sure you don't forget."

Jake groaned quietly as she shut the door and hoped fervently that she wouldn't tell on him to their mother. He sighed and relaxed his shoulders, trying to think of a good way to explain his grade on the history test he got back earlier that day. It's not that it was a bad grade, but it definitely could have been better and he knew that. He figured he had a few more strikes until he was threatened with any real punishment but with the school year ending, it was best to play it safe so he didn't end up with anything over the summer. Jake grinned and jumped off his bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready for dinner.

Summer was only a few weeks away and he was going to savor it for all it was worth.

"Jake, Haley," Jake heard his mom call up the stairs. "Dinner time is now. Come down."

"Yes, mother," Haley replied from further down the hall and Jake rolled his eyes as he imagined his perfect little sister skipping down the stairs on her way to the table. He quickly washed his hands and bounded down the stairs so that he was able to get to the table at about the same time Haley was sitting down.

Haley grinned devilishly at Jake who glared back and they both sat down as their mother set steaming pots on the table. "I just made some extra of the things I'm making for tomorrow. We'll have spaghetti tomorrow," she told Haley.

"Oh, it's fine," Haley replied gracefully while giving Jake a side glance. Jake rolled his eyes as Haley continued. "I don't mind when we don't have spaghetti night, even though it is my favorite dinner. I am well aware that you are very busy and it's fine."

"Haley, that's very sweet, but don't antagonize your bother," Susan sighed and began to eat herself.

Haley frowned and Jake grinned triumphantly as their dad came into the kitchen. "Mmm-mm," he said with gusto. "Something sure smells good, sweetie."

"Hi daddy," Haley said brightly.

Jonathan set his briefcase next to his chair and sat down, taking a deep sniff from the pot in front of him. "I'm sure it tastes just as good as it smells," he said with a big smile to Susan. Susan's weary face lit with a grin and she smiled back to her husband.

Haley and Jake looked between the two and then looked at one another. Jake made a face and Haley shrugged then glanced at her parents again and nodded.

* * *

After dinner was over, Jake helped his mom wash the dishes while Haley helped her dad to clean the dining room. Jake washed the dishes while his mom took them from him and put them into the drying rack.

"So, have you been sore anywhere else?" Susan asked.

Jake shrugged. "A little," he admitted. "Not from skating," he added quickly. "Why?"

"Just wondering," Susan replied mysteriously. "You're getting close to your growth spurts you know," she said.

"I don't need to have this 'talk' right now," Jake said quickly.

Susan laughed and took a dish from Jake's hands. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm just making sure that you're all right."

Jake sighed and nodded sullenly. "I'm fine," he insisted.

"Good," Susan replied. "By the way, after I get home tomorrow, can you stop by your Grandpa's shop? He said that he wants to talk to you."

Jake entertained the idea of complaining but after glancing at his mom's tired face, he decided that it was in his best interest to comply to her wishes. "Yeah, sure," he said.

Susan nodded, apparently grateful that Jake didn't retaliate. "So, how was school today?" she asked and glanced down at Jake. "And how did you do on that test you took?"

Jake froze and immediately applauded himself for not talking back to his mom. "Well…" he began slowly.

* * *

I am soooo sorry for the OOCness and such but this would not leave me alone. I know he doesn't talk like that in season 1 but my knowledge of urban slang sucks and he talks like a normal person later. I'll do my best with their dialogue but don't expect any miracles.

So, pre-show fic about Jake finding out he's a dragon and such. No idea how long it'll be but I intend to have quite a bit of fun with it. Enjoy. As always, hugs and candy to my reviewers. Happy Halloween!


	2. Chapter 2

OH MY GOD! An update! a second chapter a continuation. Call it what you will but I have written more of a story. Yay.

* * *

Jake woke up slowly the next morning. He glanced at the clock once then buried his head beneath his pillow to ward off the incoming sunshine. Usually he could get away with another half hour of sleep before finally getting out of bed, but not that day.

"Jake," Haley called into his room.

Jake mumbled something and shifted beneath his covers, praying that the past seven years had all been a terrible dream.

"Come on, you have to walk me to school today and I absolutely cannot be late," Haley said saucily.

Jake sighed and groaned but did not move from his spot. There was silence for a few moments before he felt something very heavy land on his back. He cried out in pain as Haley landed on the sore spot on his shoulder in her effort to get him out of bed.

Haley sat still when she heard Jake yell but didn't get off of him or otherwise back off from her position. "Come on," she said again.

Jake growled and turned over, plopping Haley into the middle of his covers. She squeaked in surprise and Jake took the moment to throw his covers off in a flourish so that they covered Haley. He then turned around and started to tickle his sister. Haley squirmed and yelled but had no chance to fight back because she was tangled into the covers. "S-stop it…" she whined between gasps and laughter.

Jake grinned and let up. He jumped out of bed as Haley pulled the sheet off of her mussed hair. "That wasn't fair," she said.

Jake shrugged and opened his drawer. "Like I care?" he asked as he grabbed whatever was on top and ran for the door. He shut it quickly and heard the tell tale thump on the other side that suggested Haley had lobbed a pillow at him. He chuckled and walked quickly to the bathroom before his sister could come up with any more plans for retaliation.

Before too long the siblings had eaten their breakfast and were on their way towards school. Haley was still steaming about her treatment earlier and Jake could care less. "You sat on me," he pointed out.

"You didn't have to mess up my hair," Haley replied hotly. "I spend exactly twenty minutes every morning getting my pigtails set evenly. Now I may even be late to school. That's not fair," she huffed.

Jake rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Chill," he drawled. "You got at least half an hour before your classes start. We'll get there in time. Besides, that's your fault."

"I at least take pride in my appearance," Haley shot back. "I don't just run my fingers through my hair and say I'm ready."

"I do more then that," Jake huffed, scandalized that Haley couldn't tell that he put quite a bit of time in his 'look.'

Haley shrugged. "Well, that's what it looks like you do, anyways," she said bitingly.

Jake glared at his little sister but didn't retaliate because her school building suddenly appeared. Haley looked up to see her principal standing in front of the school welcoming her students into the building.

Haley turned around and waved sweetly to Jake. "Bye big brother," she said in a sing song voice. "I'll see you after school." And with that she turned around and skipped into the building.

Jake rolled his eyes and gave a small hello to the principal who nodded back then turned towards his own school building and quickly started toward it. As he ran into his homeroom just as the school bell rang, he sighed. For some reason it seemed like it was going to be a long day.

"Jakeie…" Trixie murmured quietly out of the corner of her mouth in an attempt to get Jake out of his stupor. Jake stirred on his desk only slightly but attempted to give the teacher a little more of his attention.

Trixie rolled her eyes and glanced back up to the front of the classroom. Jake gave her a sheepish smile and really did sit up for the rest of the period.

After the bell rang Trixie and Spud caught up to Jake in the hallway despite the mad rush to get out of the building. "Jakeie, it's not like we think school is all that but really you gotta start doin' somethin' or the teachers are gonna go down on you."

Jake sighed. "I know," he groaned as they reached his locker. "I'm trying. I'm just really… tired lately."

"Why?" Spud asked.

Jake shrugged and winced. "Well, my back hurts," he muttered. "And Haley didn't help."

"Ah, little sis problems," Spud said wisely as if he knew what he was talking about.

"Uh, Spud," Trixie said pointedly. "You dun have any siblings."

"No," Spud agreed. "But I know they can be annoying," he replied.

Jake sighed and shut his locker with a snap. He turned and hoisted his backpack onto his shoulder and shrugged as he accompanied his friends to their lockers. "Annoying, mean, rude and when everyone else is looking," he sighed, "perfect."

Trixie laughed and threw some textbooks into her own backpack. "She's prob'ly jus' tryin' to get attention from the adults," she said. "She's smart, cute and way above kids her age. She's got no one else to be with," Trixie pointed out.

Jake growled. "I know that," he sighed. "But why does she make it so hard?"

"Because that's her job," Spud said matter of factly. "A younger sibling must always annoy the older one. It's like… a law or somethin'."

Jake laughed a little and watched Spud lean over in his attempt to find his own things to take home among the wreckage that was his locker. "I just wish she had another side besides 'annoying' and 'little miss perfect.'"

Trixie and Jake watched as Spud gave one final yank and brought the entire contents of his locker onto his head. They winced and glanced down at their friend. Spud's only visible hand formed a thumbs up. "I'm okay," he assured them in a muffled voice.

They shrugged and Trixie turned to Jake. "She prob'ly does," Trixie told him. "But you haven't given her a reason to show you yet. Admit it Jakeie, you poke her as much as she pokes you."

"Since when do you take her side?" Jake asked with a raised eyebrow.

Spud grunted as he shoved the remainder of his junk back into the abused storage unit. "Just making sure you're a good big brother," Spud said with a grin as he attempted to close the door. "You know, so you do all that big brother…stuff…" he trailed off as the thought died a slow and painful death in his head. Spud then looked confused and glanced up at the ceiling as the locker shut with a click. "What was I talking about again?" he asked.

Trixie shook her head. "Look, what Spudinski is tryin' to say is, you don't have to be her best friend but give her a chance, you don't know what it's like to be an outcast. Besides, I gotta stick up for another girl, you know?"

"Ah," Jake said with a laugh.

Trixie grinned then pulled out her skateboard. "So, we hittin' the half pipe or are we hittin' the half pipe?"

"I wish," Jake sighed. "I gotta get Haley then go to Gramps' shop. I promised mom last night. Then she found out about my test grade," he added.

Trixie and Spud both winced. "Good luck with that," Spud said while giving Jake a pat on the shoulder.

"Tomorrow then?" Trixie asked as they walked out of the school.

"Totally," Jake replied and waved as they parted ways. He sighed and started down the road towards Haley's school.

* * *

Fu Dog looked up as the bell rang at the front of the shop. He watched Susan's kid wander in looking very tired and returned to his vigilant post on the recliner. Jake sighed and dropped his backpack behind the register and went into the living area behind the open doorway.

Fu raised his head and gave Jake an unmistakable grin. Jake glanced back down with an odd expression. The kid never quite knew what to make of his grandpa's dog. Sometimes he acted like any other dog and other times he seemed almost like he knew a lot more then Jake did. Still he gave the old dog a pat on the head and sat on the arm of the recliner. "What up, Fu?" he asked.

Fu snorted and put his head onto his paws. 'If only you knew, kid,' he thought to himself.

"Ah, Jake, is that you?" Lao Shi called from the upstairs area.

"Yeah, I'm here gramps. Mom said you wanted to chat or somethin'?" Jake called back.

Lao Shi came downstairs, looking the way Jake always remembered. His movements were slow as if he thought about every step before he took it and his hands were carefully tucked out of view into his sleeves. He was also still as short as always and Jake found himself fervently wishing for at least the hundredth time that he would take his height from his dad's side of the family. "Indeed," he said and walked into the room. "But first of all, we should have tea."

Jake sighed; he figured his gramps would want tea. He always wanted tea. He thought he saw Fu grin out of the corner of his eye but when he turned to look the dog was staring off into space.

Lao Shi cleared his throat and Jake looked back at old man. "Okay," he said defensively. "Tea. I get it."

Ten minutes later everyone had steaming cups of green tea, including the dog. Jake glanced down at the rather odd sight but quickly brought his attention back to his gramps when Lao Shi set his cup on the table. "First," Lao Shi said. "Your mom tells me that you've been having growing pains lately?"

Jake opened his mouth then closed it. "Well," he shrugged. "Kinda. Not… growing," he said oddly. "I think I hurt my back or somethin' at the skate park."

"Oh," Lao Shi said, his eyes glittering. "Your back hurts?"

Jake nodded. "Yeah. More like my shoulders," he said. He then shrugged and took a sip of the tea. "No big, it'll go away soon."

"How long has your back been hurting," Lao Shi pressed.

Jake sighed, obviously annoyed at the interrogation. "I don't know," he ran his fingers through his hair and let out a slow breath. "Um… two weeks. Maybe?"

"Hm…" Lao Shi said quietly. His expression changed into a more thoughtful one as he slowly sipped on his tea.

"Um gramps, I got homework, so what do you need to talk about?" Jake asked again.

"Why haven't you told anyone for so long?" Lao Shi asked, ignoring Jake's own question.

"I don't know," Jake sighed. "I wipe out skateboarding all the time. I didn't notice it from any other crash until it kept hurting. I don't tell mom every time I fall or she'll never let me hit the park again."

Lao Shi took another long sip of tea and slowly swallowed it. Jake finally started to think something might be going on. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, from talking to your mother, I simply thought you had started but it's clear that it's no longer the case," Lao Shi said to himself more then to Jake.

"Started what?" Jake asked, getting more frustrated by the second. "Look gramps, I know you're into the whole mystical sayings and junk but I have stuff to do so…"

Jake's small rant was cut off by his grandfather placing his teacup firmly onto the table. Jake was silent for a few seconds before Lao Shi finally decided to talk. "Jacob," he said quietly. "I was hoping this could wait a few more weeks but it is clear that we don't have that time anymore. It's about time that you find out more about your mother's side, my side of the family."  
Jake grinned. "What, you came from China? Gramps, I…"

"Not that," Lao Shi said stiffly. "Listen to me," he said sternly and Jake quietly placed his own cup on the table. "Your mother and I are part of a very long and old family line from China. And it is a line whose blood you have inherited."

Jake bit the inside of his lip to keep himself from saying something cheeky or sarcastic about how cheesy the whole thing was.

"Jacob Luke Long," Lao Shi continued. "Your mother and I are dragons, and so are you."

* * *

Sorry about the month long wait. I'll avoid starting something before the ACT next time. Hopefully this next chapter will come your way in a week or two.

And the story... Ohhhh the cheese XD you can cut it with a knife and put it on crackers it's so tangible. Now the fun stuff begins. Thanks for putting up with my crazy OOCness and my continued struggles with dialogue. Enjoy and hope you all had an awesome turkey day.

As always, hugs and cookies to my reviewers and in spirit of the season, some pumpkin pie as well. See you next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Jake blinked at Lao Shi for about two seconds before he burst out laughing. Fu sighed and shook his head and Lao Shi looked annoyed. Jake continued to giggle while Lao Shi glared at his errant grandson. "It is not a joke," he said sternly.

"Dragons?" Jake asked. "Gramps, dragons don't exist. They're not real."

"And neither are talking dogs, right?" Fu asked Jake from his seat on the recliner.

Jake turned and stared at Fu. His mouth dropped open in shock and Fu grinned broadly. "What's the matter, kid? Never seen a dog talk before?"

Jake let out a half strangled squeak and promptly fell off the arm of the chair in his effort to get away from the talking dog.

Lao Shi calmly continued to sip his tea and waited patiently for his grandson's panic attack to wind down. "Th-th-the… Fu… he… dogs can TALK?" Jake asked finally.

"Eh, a few," Fu replied casually as he jumped down from the chair. "I'm also about two hundred years old, but that's not the point."

"No, it's not," Lao Shi said slowly as he set his empty tea cup down.

"Dragons?" Jake asked weakly as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

Lao Shi nodded and stood up. Jake watched with wide eyes as his grandfather raised out his arms and in a swirl of light his tiny frame disappeared to give way to a slender, lizard like appearance. He was thin, lank and a very deep blue color. Jake did everything he could to process what had just happened in the past few moments and found himself coming up short. He swayed a little, and Lao Shi quickly returned to his human form.

"Kid, stay with us," Fu said in a rough voice and bit Jake gently on the arm. Jake winced and weakly swatted the dog away. Fu backed off but quickly came back over when Jake groaned and put his head in his hands.

"I know it's a lot to take in…" Lao Shi began.

"Take in? Take in?!" Jake asked angrily, glaring at his grandfather. "First of all, I'm still half convinced this is a bad dream and that I'll wake up and everything will be fine. Second of all, why did NO ONE TELL ME?" Jake yelled. "Does mom know? Does Haley or Dad know? I mean, what kind of family is this if you keep this big of a secret from me? 'Oh hey Jake, by the way, you're NOT HUMAN.' I mean what kind of wake up call is that? What is wrong with you, gramps?" Jake yelled, finally running out of breath and cutting off his rant to take in some air.

Lao Shi looked at Jake with something akin to sadness in his eyes. "Well, I admit it wasn't the wisest of decisions." Jake snorted rudely but Fu put a paw on his leg and Lao Shi continued. "However, it was your mother's wish that you not know until you were old enough to control your magic. By the way, yes your mom knows. She is a dragon as well, however she cannot transform or use very powerful magic as the ability to awaken her magic skipped her generation. Your father and Haley do not know. Your dad is human and Haley is also a dragon but she cannot control her magic yet either. As for the reason no one has told you, that will take a bit longer to explain."

Jake frowned and stood up. "Couldn't someone said something? Anything?" he asked.

Lao Shi shook his head and patted the cushion next to him on the couch. Jake stood where he was and crossed his arms over his chest in open defiance. "If you wish to know about why we kept the secret then come over here," Lao Shi said quietly.

Jake glared at his grandfather for a bit longer before walking over and taking a seat on the couch. Lao Shi leaned over and brought out a thick, leather bound book from underneath the coffee table. Fu trotted over and jumped onto the couch as well. "Oh goodie," he said in a smarmy voice. "I love story time."

Both Jake and Lao Shi gave Fu dirty looks and the dog shut his mouth. Lao Shi opened the book and a clear, 3-D image appeared over the yellowing pages. "This country, the United States has been in a state of unrest for many years," Lao Shi began. "It's magical population has fought amongst its self for centuries and without any leaders no one has been able to stop them."

"Why?" Jake asked.

"They never listened," Lao Shi said with a sigh and pointed to the picture. It was a map of the state with little red dots all over it. "These are all battles that have been fought in the state of New York alone over the past five hundred years."

Jake looked at it and his eyes widened. "That many?" he asked.

Lao Shi nodded.

"But what does that have to do with me?" Jake asked. "I mean, why hide it from me?"

"Dragons are the creatures of balance in this world," Lao Shi said gently. "We are the ones that other magical creatures look up to for protection and guidance because we are very powerful. Every country has a dragon representative, leading and helping the magical population that lives within its borders. Every country except the United States."

Jake shifted uncomfortably. "Um… gramps… you don't mean…"

"About seven years ago you were chosen to be this country's first American Dragon by the High Council," Lao Shi said sternly. "You are the oldest natural born dragon in this country and they believed you had shown certain qualities then that would make you a good candidate."

"B-but… I'm a kid," Jake said. "I'm in middle school, I can barely get through history without falling asleep. What do you mean 'American dragon'?" Jake asked.

"However that isn't something you need to worry about yet. You only need to worry about controlling your magic and transformation. The rest will come with time. Also, I will be in charge of your training, young one," Lao Shi said with a smile. "This won't all happen at once."

Jake still looked extremely unhappy. "But still. Why not tell me?"

"Your mother did not want you to live with this over your head your entire childhood," Lao Shi said. "And I agreed with her."

"Oh," Jake said quietly. "I…" he shook his head as if to clear it. "Are you sure this isn't some whacked out dream, G?" he asked.

Lao Shi smiled at the return of Jake's regular speech pattern. At the very least his grandson was getting comfortable with the idea. Baby steps were needed to start this because the next step was a big one. "Yes, I am sure."

Jake sighed and rubbed his head. Finally he fingered his hair and looked at it. "Is that why my hair is green?" he asked. "I know mom 'dyes' it cause she thinks it's cute but… I picked up two years ago that she doesn't do it right."

Lao Shi grinned and nodded. "I was wondering if you had noticed that. And yes, that is most likely why. Most dragons have something that sets them apart from other humans. It can be more noticeable in some then others."

"Huh," Jake murmured. He stood up and looked a little dazed as if his brain couldn't keep up with the information being given to him. He raised his arms over his head to stretch out and winced at the pain in his shoulder blades. "G, why did you say all this after I told you my back hurt?" Jake asked slowly as he let his arms fall to his sides.

"Well, my guess is that your wings are about to ready to show," Lao Shi replied.

Jake sat back down on the couch in surprise. "Wings?" he asked. "B-but, you don't have those."

"I'm from China," Lao Shi explained. "Every dragon takes on the form that is suited to the country he or she is born in."

"I'm the first one!" Jake yelled. "How do you know I have wings?"

"Because your shoulders hurting is a sign of that," Lao Shi replied. "And your wings and tail will materialize first because those are parts of you that magic has been hiding all these years. Everything else you will have to learn how to control and transform but your wings and tail will come first."

"Oh joy," Jake muttered. "I have school tomorrow you know, and Haley and dad probably won't accept any stories I tell. Do you know when this is all gonna go down?"

"Well, we can wait for it to happen on it's own or you can take control of your own chi and materialize them on your own. However, you will not be able to return to school until you are able to hide them again," Lao Shi warned.

Jake adopted a smug look. "Well, I've been doing it for twelve years without knowing. How hard can it be?"

"Don't fool yourself kid," Fu warned. "Learning to control magic is very hard and it's going to be months before you can completely control your transformation."

"That's just 'cause you've never seen Mac Daddy Jake try it," Jake said with a grin.

Fu rolled his eyes and Lao Shi smiled. "Very well, we shall try it tonight. It should also help the pain in your shoulders go away once you learn how to properly control the chi flow."

Jake nodded. "Okay, sounds good G."

* * *

Two hours later Jake was sitting across from his grandfather and looking at him intently. "Okay, it hurts," Jake said.

"Concentrate on where it hurts, young one, not the pain its self," Lao Shi said gently. "You want to feel the wings as an extension of yourself."

Jake closed his eyes but ended up opening them again after half a minute. "Sorry, but…"

"Let's try something different then," Lao Shi decided. "Concentrate on the pain as something else. You're hurting because the chi flow is unbalanced and your wings are starting to grow. You need to open the chi flow so that you can materialize your wings and stop the pain. You'll still have growing pains but it won't hurt as much."

"Jake closed his eyes again and tried. After a little while he opened one and grinned. "Hey G, if this is part of growing, think I'll get taller soon?"

"One thing at a time, young one," Lao Shi said patiently.

Jake sighed and visualized everything his grandfather had told him too. The pain increased as it had the past ten times he tried it but instead he tried to visualize the 'chi flow' or in his case he pictured a river, as that was the closest to 'flow' he could get. The pain intensified for a second and then he felt no pressure on his back. For the first time in two weeks he felt no pain in his back. He opened his eyes, stood up and grinned.

Fu whistled and sat across from Jake. "Wow kid, your wingspan is huge. You won't be able to hide those for awhile," he said with a laugh.

Jake glanced back and saw two large wings in his peripheral vision. The upper part of the wings went well over his head and the lower tip reached to his knees. He blinked several times, trying to process it. Experimentally he tried to flap them and to his surprise the command was followed. Lao Shi put a hand on Jake's shoulder and shook his head. "We won't fly yet," he said. "You must first learn to control the magic. Try and visualize the chi flow stopping."

"No prob," Jake said easily. "Watch me," he told them and closed his eyes again. He opened them again and Fu was smirking quietly at him.

"Sorry kid," Fu said, almost apologetically. "It's going to take awhile."

"But… I told Trixie and Spud I was gonna hit the half pipe with them tomorrow," Jake said with a groan. "I'll get it, watch me."

Lao Shi quietly left the room as Jake stood and continued his attempts to bring in his wings.

Jake concentrated again on his chi flow, imagining the river again. If it worked before maybe it would work in reverse. His concentration was ruined as Fu began to laugh. "Fu," he growled.

"Sorry kid but I think that was the last thing you were trying to do," Fu said while pointing at Jake with a paw.

Jake blinked and looked down to where Fu was pointing. He saw a very long red tail draped over table directly behind him. He quickly thought about moving it off the table and it followed his command instantly. He continued to blink in confusion for a few more seconds before letting out a loud cry of frustration.

Lao Shi heard this in the other room and Fu's laughter following. He poked his head back into the room and nodded to Jake who was now throwing a pillow at Fu. "You have learned the first lesson," Lao Shi said calmly. "Nothing will come easily and excess pride will only slow you down."

* * *

So, when Jake is stressed or serious he doesn't use slang as much but when he's fine then he doesn't care. Awww, looks like he got himself in a little pickle huh? Ah well, it's his fault for being too over confident. Hope you guys liked it, it was kinda hard to write because I really didn't know what kind of reaction he should have. So, hugs and cookies to my reviewers and here's to an awesomely happy New Year's with more frequent updates. Yay! 


	4. Chapter 4

Jake spent the better part of the next three hours trying to get his wings and tail to disappear. He was getting better at it, but it seemed like every time he got on the verge of pulling the chi back in he would hit a 'wall' and everything would return to normal. On his twentieth try, he leaned forward with a groan and held his head in his hands.

Fu walked over with a small grin and put a paw on Jake's knee. "Don't worry kid, you'll get it. And trust me, you'll appreciate the bigger wing span once you get into the air."

Jake growled and pushed himself back up onto the couch and leaned back with a wince as he slid into an awkward position to compensate for his wings. "Yeah, maybe. But I don't want to deal with this right now, you know? I have stuff to do, peeps to greet and pipes to grind. The last thing I need is to be stuck here."

"Calm down kid," Fu said with a laugh. "Look, I know that controlling magic isn't the easiest thing in the world but nothing, and I mean nothing, comes from getting impatient with magic. Also, you're not used to controlling your chi yet, maybe it would be a good idea to sleep on it and try again tomorrow?"

Jake shook his head. "Nah, I can get it. 'Sides it's only eight, and I'm not going to bed."

"Well you can't go outside," Fu said with a raised eyebrow.

"I know that," Jake said exasperatedly. "That's why I'll keep tryin' to get this chi flow thing."

"Suit yourself," Fu said with a shrug as he left the room and went to the front of the shop where Jake's grandfather was watching the door.

Two hours later Fu returned to the back room to find Jake lying face down on the couch with his head buried under the nearest pillows. Fu gave a short laugh and the unexpected sound startled Jake out of his almost sleep. Fu padded over as Jake blinked sleepily at him. "Sorry kid," Fu murmured with a grin.

Jake sat up and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands. "Nah, I was just resting a little. It's okay."

"I think it is time for bed," Lao Shi said softly as he came into the back room.

"Gramps, no," Jake groaned. "I've almost got it, really."

Lao Shi shook his head and tucked his hands away into his sleeves as he walked towards the stair case. "No, that is enough for now young one. Also, it is ten."

Jake blinked in surprise. "Ten already?"

Lao Shi nodded. "Yes, now time for bed."

Jake sighed and followed his grandfather upstairs as best he could with Fu padding quietly behind them. Jake grumbled as he went straight for the guest room and fell face first into the bed. Fu followed him into the room and grinned as Jake situated himself as comfortably as he could on the bed. "Told you you'd get tire, kid."

Jake did his best to glare at the dog but he was too tired. "Whatever," he murmured as he curled up around the pillow.

Fu sighed and clenched the throw at the end of the bed in his teeth and dragged it over Jake. Jake curled deeper into the blanket and Fu turned and started to walk out of the room. Jake opened one eye suddenly and looked at Fu as he left. "Wait, Fu?"

"Yeah?" Fu asked.

"How long does it usually take to hide the wings and tail?" Jake asked.

Fu paused and Jake could tell he was uncomfortable with the question. "It's okay," Jake said. "I don't care how long."

Fu sighed and shrugged. "There's extremes for everything but I've noticed it usually takes a week to a week and a half."

Jake was silent and Fu peered into the dark room. "Kid?"

"Nothing, it's fine. Thanks Fu," Jake said.

"For what?" Fu asked.

"For not lying to me," Jake replied before he lay back down.

Fu grinned and left Jake's room and pushed the door closed before padding over to Lao Shi's room. "Heh, I almost forgot why the council chose him," Fu said with a grin as he walked over to Lao Shi's bedside.

Lao Shi grinned. "Oh?" he asked.

"I told him the truth about how long it's gonna take for him to control his magic and he thanked me for not lying to him," Fu replied as he crawled onto his cushion on the floor.

Lao Shi nodded and prepared to go to sleep himself. "He does not like being treated like a child," he said. "He is too proud for that. However, he will have a hard time staying still for that long."

"Don't worry gramps. I've been around him since he was a little kid, I know every trick he has," Fu said with a laugh.

"Yes, but now he knows you can talk," Lao Shi reminded the dog. "He is going to be much more guarded around you from now on."

"Yeah, well," Fu said non-chalantly and curled up. "We'll deal when it comes."

* * *

The next morning Jake woke up slowly and painfully. He winced as his head pounded and his back throbbed. He pushed his face into his pillow and tried to gain back the sleep that he had lost.

Fu burst any hope of returning to dreamland when he came through the door. "Morning, kid," he said with his unique laugh.

Jake groaned and pulled the throw over his head.

Fu laughed and sat on his haunches while grinning at Jake. "The chi flow will right its self sooner or later. Your body's just not used to it, that's all."

Jake mumbled something into the mattress and Fu couldn't make it out. "Headache?" he asked.

Jake nodded.

"That's good though. It means you were at least moving your chi yesterday. Everything else comes with practice," Fu told him.

Jake sighed and pushed himself up, slowly. He sat up and did his best to push his hair into a less messy position. "Where's G?" he asked.

"Gramps went down into the magical underworld to have a discussion with some of the local leaders," Fu explained. "But don't worry, you won't have to be dealing with any of that stuff for awhile."

Jake nodded and yawned. "Fine with me," he muttered. He stretched his arms high above his head and unconsciously extended his wings as well. Fu grinned as Jake relaxed and sat back down on the bed. He looked at Fu and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You're going to be a natural flier," Fu said. "You'd be amazed at how many dragons start off with wingspans less than two or three feet across."

Jake shrugged. "Well I didn't know dragons existed till yesterday so it doesn't matter."

"Jeez, got out of the wrong side of bed this morning?" Fu asked.

Jake glared at the dog then left the room quietly. Fu blinked at the moody child and cocked his head to one side. "What'd I say?" he asked.

Jake went into the back room and curled up on the couch in an effort to quietly nurse his growing headache but Fu followed him and sat at the end of the couch. "So," Fu started.

"Look Fu, I know you know way more about this stuff and I actually have a million questions I want to ask," Jake told the dog. "But right now I don't feel too hot and I just kinda wanna chill, kay?"

Fu nodded and jumped into his chair. "Okay, fair enough," the dog answered.

Jake leaned into the couch and started to try and control his chi flow again but the pounding in his head increased until he was forced to stop. By the time he was too tired to continue, his grandpa came into the room.

"Hey, G," Jake muttered.

"Good day, young one," Lao Shi replied. "Have you been working on your control?"

Jake nodded and sat up. "Yeah, but my head…" he started.

"You should stop," Lao Shi told him before he could finish.

"Wha?" Jake asked. "But you said yesterday that I couldn't go anywhere until I could control my chi or whatever."

"Yes, but rushing something sometimes only makes the task take even longer to accomplish," Lao Shi said softly. "Rest for now. We'll try something new tomorrow."

Jake sighed and watched his grandpa leave the room. Fu came over and jumped up onto the couch. "So, what are you going to do now?" Fu asked.

Jake looked back at his wings and grinned. "Think G would let me fly?" he asked.

"I dunno, kid. Flying's a big step for most dragons, even if they have known that they were able to fly their whole lives. Your gramps might not be too keen on the idea yet," Fu warned.

"Hm…" Jake said quietly.

"Here's the part where you decide to try anyway, right?" Fu asked.

Jake shrugged, trying to pass it off as something he was simply thinking about.

Fu grinned and shook his head. "I'm 600 years old. You can't fool me," he told Jake. "You also told me everything you planned to do."

"Yeah, when I didn't know you could talk," Jake snapped. "That kinda makes a difference, Fu."

Fu let out a slow breath. "Tell you what kid, if you promise to tell me what you're planning to do and when you're planning to go and I go with you I promise not to tell the old man and you also have to promise to not do anything unless I say it's okay, but if it is then we can go out."

Jake looked down at Fu and grinned. "Why would you promise something like that?" he asked as he considered the offer.

"Because I know you," Fu said. "You've been bending the rules since you knew rules existed. I know if someone doesn't at least follow you you'll just wander off on your own. And I'm not going to pretend that you'll stay inside for a week, whether or not you have wings," Fu said as he pointed a paw at the wings and tail behind Jake.

Jake shrugged. "So, I have my own style. It's not a crime."

"Unless you get caught," Fu replied.

"I don't get caught as often as my parents think they catch me," Jake replied.

"I know that," Fu said again. "That's why I asked you to promise me that you'll tell me what you're planning. I won't stop you but you're still a dragon and you don't know anything about the social rules out there."

Jake sighed. "If I promise can we go out tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure," Fu replied. "But only where I say."

"Fine," Jake agreed. "And I promise."

* * *

Ugh, AP classes are a bitch and I'm kinda failing at the whole time management thing. I hope the next chapter comes out sooner then this one did. Thanks for reading and I'm sorry for the vague OOCness but hey, the kid just found out he's not human. I'm sure he's trying to deal with that while trying not to show it. The next few chapters should be a whole lot of fun. He learns to fly in the next chapter :D

Hugs and cookies to my reviewers. Thanks so much!


	5. Chapter 5

True to his word Jake stayed inside quietly for the remainder of the day. He was fidgety and he really did want to sneak out but he was also nervous at the prospect of getting into trouble that he couldn't get out of. He knew that Fu wouldn't steer him wrong or at least, he hoped that Fu wouldn't steer him wrong.

After dinner Jake laid on the couch, idly twitching his tail and gazing at the TV without really watching it. Fu trotted into the room and rested his front paws on the arm of the sofa, gazing at his young charge. "Just a barrel full of laughs, aren't you?"

Jake gave him a halfhearted glare. "Ya know, I think I liked it better when you didn't talk," he said in a teasing voice.

"Ha ha," Fu replied dryly. "Cute. Look, I know this is hard for you, but we'll go out tomorrow, I promise. So please, don't do anything tonight."

Jake pretended to be insulted. "Why Fu, I thought you'd know me better then that," he said while sitting up and switching of the TV.

Fu grinned and jumped up on the couch, sitting down next to Jake. "I know you well enough to remember when you snuck onto the subway by yourself when you were seven because you wanted to go to a toy store."

"Did I really?" Jake asked.

"You don't remember?" Fu asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jake shook his head. "I believe you," he said. "But no, I don't."

Fu laughed and sighed, putting his head down into his paws. "Kid, I lost about six pounds following you around that day and no one even noticed you were missing. I still don't know how you managed to do that."

"Timing," Jake said with a wicked grin. "Pick the right time and no one notices."

Fu sighed but Jake could tell that he was more amused then he was tired. "Well, I just want to make sure you won't go anywhere."

"I won't," Jake said with emphasis. "I still a lil' freaked out by all this. I dunno if I just wanna stroll outta here without knowing what's going down."

Fu nodded. "Good," he said, relief apperant in his voice. "Glad to know even you have a sense of self preservation."

Jake glared at Fu but was interrupted by his grandfather coming into the room with a phone in his hands. He put his right hand over the receiver and said quietly. "It is your mother, she wishes to speak with you."

Jake nodded fervently, suddenly realizing how much he wanted to talk to his mom. His grandfather walked across the room and handed the phone to Jake. He then turned around and motioned for Fu to follow him as he went upstairs. Fu cast a small glance back at him and then followed the small man upstairs, leaving Jake to confront his mother for the first time since he found out his family's little secret.

Jake sighed and leaned back as much as he could, half slumping on the couch and drawing his knees up to his chest before putting the phone to his ear. "Mom?" he asked.

"Hey sweetie," he heard her say quietly. He smiled unconsciously and relaxed for the first time in two days.

"Hi mom," he said with a bit more hardness in his voice then he had intended. His mom must have sensed that he wasn't too happy with the situation because he could practically hear her wince over the phone.

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry," she admitted. "I'm sure dad has already explained to you why we didn't say anything. I just didn't want you… I mean…"

Jake sighed into the phone, cutting his mom off. He felt sort of bad for interrupting her but he figured he had a little leeway in this conversation. "I understand," he admitted. "But… mom, why didn't you at least mention something? I suddenly find out I'm not even human and now I'm at G's shop with wings and a tail I can't get rid of. It's kind of hard to take in, ya know?"

He knew his mom was already feeling kinda bad but he still felt like he needed to tell someone that he still wasn't completely okay with everything. His mom apparently understood quite well because she didn't try to defend herself or say it was all okay. Instead she asked Jake a question he wasn't quite expecting. "Honey, can I tell you about my childhood?"

"What's that gotta do with anything?" Jake asked.

"Plenty," she replied. "If you listen then I think you'll understand why."

"'Kay," Jake finally said after a rather long pause.

"Well, my sister and I were born in Hong Kong," his mom began.

"Wait, you were born in China?" Jake asked. This was something he actually didn't know.

He heard his mom chuckle and relaxed a little bit. Apparently this wasn't something a lot of people were aware of. "Yes," she answered. "Well, think about it. I began high school in the mid 80's but your grandfather was the Chinese dragon in the 70's. My dad met my mom shortly after a… fight he had and your aunt was born not long after. Then I was born."

Jake thought about it and then realized that the time frame was right. "He was the Chinese dragon in the 70's? And what fight?"

His mom paused, as if carefully choosing her next words. "Yes, and I don't think that's something I should talk to you about. You need to ask your grandfather, but don't do it yet, it's something he still doesn't like to talk about. Anyway, I was pretty young when we moved to America so it didn't really matter anyway. However, because I was a dragon and because I knew I was a dragon I was treated differently by those in the magical world."

"What do you mean?" Jake asked. "I mean, G said you can't really do the magic thing."

"No, I can't," she admitted. "But I'm still a dragon and there are still rules in the magical underworld about how dragons are seen and treated."

"Why?" Jake asked.

"Because of traditions going back thousands and thousands of years," she replied. "Honey, the role of dragons being in charge of the magical underworld is a role that has been around for probably tens of thousands of years. It's not something that will just change, even if you want it to." Jake was silent so she continued. "I was treated like the daughter of the Chinese dragon. Even if the people here don't really like dragons they still treat us with respect. Respect is a big thing in the magical underworld."

"Whaddya mean, 'don't really like dragons'?" Jake asked warily.

"I think my dad showed you. There was a lot of fighting here for a very long time. The people of this country feel like the dragons abandoned them because no one was here for so long. I personally think that no dragon wanted to come here out of fear but my dad did and here's where we are. I'm telling you this because I think you need to know the truth but you have to take it to heart when I tell you."

Jake sighed and nodded into the phone. When he realized his mom couldn't hear a nod he said, "yeah," quietly and waited for her to continue her story.

"Anyway, I went to a school that mostly had humans because since I didn't have any magical powers I just felt more comfortable there. Dad wasn't happy but he agreed. So I grew up like a human but knowing that I was a dragon and having that pressure to be like a dragon was something that made me uncomfortable. I knew that when you and Haley were born it would only be worse because you were chosen to be the first American dragon. Plus I… haven't told your father and I didn't want to risk everything being exposed before I could tell him properly. I know some of my reasons are selfish but sweetie, I am telling the truth when I say I just wanted what I thought was best."

Jake thought about it and realized that she was right. He had the best friends in the world and he loved his dad, even if he was a little weird. His dad's family was a little weird too but it probably would have been even harder to get along with them if he knew everything. In all, he was grateful that his mom had actually thought so far ahead so that he didn't have to deal with so many problems before he was ready. Who wanted to know there was a secret civil war going on when you're six?

"Honey?" his mom asked during the rather long pause.

"I… understand," Jake said finally. "I mean, I know why. I did know why, I was just…"

"Surprised?" she asked with a small laugh.

"That's an understatement," Jake replied with a grin. "But yeah, I get it."

"I'm glad to hear that," she said. "I know you're having a tough time but I'm handling everything with school and your father."

"What did you say?" Jake asked.

"I said that you have the measles and it's contagious. Most dragons that have kids in human schools use that excuse," she replied easily.

"Oh," Jake said, not even thinking that there might already be a useable excuse.

"I'll come by tomorrow to see how you are, okay? So be good for your grandfather."

"I will," Jake said innocently.

"Hm…" he heard his mom reply and he knew she wasn't so sure but there didn't seem much she could do. "Well, just stay out of trouble. Please."

"I promise," Jake replied earnestly.

"Okay, good night sweetheart. I love you," his mom said.

"Night mom, love you too," Jake said, trying not to think about what he was saying. Telling your parents you love them is just too embarrassing but he figured the situation called for it.

They hung up and Jake dragged himself upstairs, a little more at peace with his current situation. He sighed and flopped into bed on his stomach and kicked off his shoes before pulling up a blanket as best he could and burying his face into his pillow. He heard a small snort from the floor before Fu asked, "Feel better, kid?"

Jake nodded into his pillow. "Yeah," came his muffled reply. He heard someone turn off the light as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Morning kid," Fu said cheerily as Jake slowly woke up.

"Huh…wha?" was Jake's alert reply.

"Come on, your gramps in at another meeting for the morning. If you really wanna go out, we have to go now," Fu said urgently.

That got Jake's attention. "Really?" he asked. "Sign me up and let's get outta here," he said as he jumped to his feet.

"Woah, slow down there," Fu said but Jake was already heading downstairs.

* * *

Fu had led Jake out of the back door and immediately into an old sewer. Jake wrinkled his nose in distaste but Fu merely shrugged. "You get used to it," he sighed and jumped into the hole.

Jake gently lowered himself into the sewer and pulled the surprisingly light manhole cover over his head after they got inside. Fu pulled out a flashlight from somewhere in his wrinkles and laughed at the odd glance Jake gave him. "What, I got to use this skin for something," he said with a loud laugh. "Come on," he motioned and started to walk in the sewer.

Jake covered his nose as his eyes started to water. "Fu, it smells really bad down here."

"Actually, not really but because your chi is starting to actually flow the way it should in your body you sense of smell is stronger then you're used to. Dragons have better senses then most creatures actually, you'll be able to see in the dark, hear really well and so on. Of course that's not until you transform but still, your senses will get better," Fu explained.

Jake tightened his hold over his nose. "Why?"

"Because, you're a dragon. You only had human level senses because your magic wasn't awakened yet. Really that form is just your human shape, but it doesn't mean that it's going to change your senses. Once your chi starts to flow that's all going to change. I mean it won't even be as strong as when you're in your true dragon form but it'll be stronger then humans, that's for sure."

Jake was quiet as they walked along the sewer, pondering Fu's answer. Finally he asked another question. "Where are we going?" he asked.

Fu grinned. "Central Park."

* * *

My god, I didn't forget this fic! No really, I've just had a really busy school year and equally busy summer. (Two 40+ hour weeks in a row.) But I still wrote a new chapter. Yay!

Anyways, this chapter contains a lot of my theories and uh... 'made up facts because I think they look cool.' So, if you don't like I'm sorry, I tend to do that with any fandom I write for. But I do keep it all consistent. Sorry about any out of character-ness, I'm always reminded how hard this show is to write for when I pick up this fic. God, Jake's dialogue is just... yeah, anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope I get the next one out faster.

Hugs and cookies to all my reviewers and anyone who keeps up with this fic. I love you!


	6. Chapter 6

Jake slowly walked behind Fu while keeping both his hands over his nose in an effort to ward off the offending smell. Fu chuckled and picked up the pace a little bit. "Don't worry kid, you get used to it."

"It reeks," Jake told Fu pointedly.

"Not as bad as your Grandpa's attempts at scrambled eggs this morning," Fu said with his odd laugh.

Jake blankly started at Fu who frowned and sighed. "Sheesh, it was a joke kid. Lighten up."

"It was a bad joke," Jake replied.

Fu rolled his eyes and shook his head. "That's because you're a kid, kids don't appreciate real humor."

Jake grinned from behind his hands and said "Nah, Fu. I think anyone'd say that was bad."

Fu snorted and then stopped abruptly. "Okay, here we are."

Jake glanced upward and saw a blank wall. He glanced at Fu questioningly who simply grinned and stood up on his hind paws. He leaned into the wall and started to paw at it. Jake leaned in for a closer look and saw that the wall was covered in very fine cracks that spread all over the wall. Fu pushed on a few, almost as if they were buttons. Finally he dropped back down to all fours and grabbed part of Jake's sleeve between his teeth and pulled the young dragon back a few steps. "Best to stand out of the way, kid," Fu told him.

Jake stepped back obligingly while still staring at the wall. Finally, the last place where Fu had touched began to glow faintly. It crumbled away revealing a tiny hole. Then another part crumbled, and another until a large tunnel was exposed. Fu trotted in and jerked his head forward to get Jake to follow him. "This one smells better, I promise," he said with a smile.

Jake followed Fu, looking around in awe at the new tunnel that had been opened up. "Woah," he said simply.

"Yeah, it was a cover designed by the trolls. They're used to living underground and in caves so if you make the entrance look like everything else then it's more likely that the humans won't bug ya. This tunnel leads to a part of Central Park that humans can't get to, so we won't be bothered there," Fu explained as they walked forward.

A loud crashing sound was heard behind them and Jake turned around to see the small pebbles that were lying on the floor jump around and reassemble themselves in the hole until it looked like a solid wall again. Jake smiled and then turned back to follow Fu. "Cool," he said simply.



They continued to walk and Jake realized that Fu was right, this tunnel smelled way better. Then again this tunnel wasn't part of the sewer system so there really was no reason for it to smell bad. The tunnel began to lead uphill and by the time they had reached what Jake figured was the exit, Fu was gasping for breath.

"You need to work out more," Jake told Fu pointedly.

"Kid, when you're 600 years old, the last thing you want to do is exercise," Fu said pointedly. "I'm more into vegging in front of the TV with cheese-whiz and I have no problem with that."

Jake rolled his eyes and followed the panting Fu through the circular opening that Fu had pushed open with his paw. Jake pulled himself out after Fu and took a look around. It was a lot more empty then he thought a mystical field in Central Park would look like. "Where is everyone?" Jake asked.

Fu shrugged. "Who knows, underground somewhere probably. Magical creatures don't live here, they come here like humans do. To relax, picnic, play around. This place exists so that magical creatures can go to the park without having to disguise themselves so they can be among humans. Still, living above ground for most creatures is way too risky. Anyone who tries is either insane or very powerful."

"Oh," said Jake. "Powerful, how?"

Fu pondered the question for a bit before answering. "Well, like nymphs. In greek mythology they're considered a step below gods. In truth they're spirits of nature. Nymphs are magical creatures who help keep the balance of whatever part of nature they're born too. Tree nymphs take care of trees, river nymphs take care of rivers, flower nymphs take care of flowers and so on. But they are powerful because their magic is tied directly to nature, so they can just disguise themselves as trees, flowers and rivers and live above ground. Fairies are like that too, but their power level is far less than a nymph."

"Oh," said Jake. "What about wizards and witches?"

"They live among humans too, because they look like humans. Not always very powerful but they don't really need to hide, just not use magic around them. Like you," Fu told Jake. He glanced at Jake's wings and tail and grinned wryly. "Well, at least like you once you learn to control everything."

Jake shrugged and looked around again. "So, what're we gonna do?" he asked.

"Well, I figured you would probably want to learn how to fly," Fu said to Jake. "But if you're not interested…"

"Totally interested," Jake said quickly with a grin forming on his lips.



Fu laughed and shook his head. "Okay, but you can't go higher than the trees and try to be a quiet as possible. Trust me, learning to fly quietly will help you a lot once you start doing your job."

Jake shrugged, "yeah, okay," he said simply and spread his wings for the first time since his G had warned him not to try and do anything in his shop two nights ago.

Fu whistled slowly. "Wow, your wingspan is huge," he said while shaking his head. "No wonder your back hurt."

Jake laughed, "that was nothing compared to my wipe out at the skate park three months ago," he told Fu while testing out his wings by flapping them experimentally.

"I'm sure," Fu said dryly. "At least you won't complain when you fall," he said under his breath.

Jake stopped flapping his wings. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Fu said quickly. "Now, I can't actually help you fly, because in case you didn't notice, I have a lack of wings." Jake crossed his arms and shook his head, but he was smiling so Fu continued. "But, I do know how it works, so just keep in mind that the first few times you're probably not going to get off the ground. There's a lot more to flying then jumping in the air and flapping your wings."

"You can help, right?" Jake asked.

"I can explain things," Fu said.

"Easy enough," Jake said carelessly.

"Don't get too overconfident," Fu warned.

"That's not what I meant," Jake explained. "When you learn how to street dance you really can only watch the other guys and try to copy it. No one explains anything and that's way hard to learn."

Fu raised an eyebrow. "Oh," he said simply while watching Jake flap his wings again.

Jake took in a deep breath and closed his eyes only concentrating on his wings. His heart was beating very quickly but he knew from experience that it was from excitement, not fear. Heck, flying seemed to be the best part of this whole mess of the past few days. He heard Fu yell, "wait for the right moment, if you take off too fast you're just going to fall."

Jake waited and concentrated, after a few seconds he felt his feet lift lightly off the ground and when he felt the ground again he bent his knees and pushed off the ground, hard. He quickly opened his eyes while surging upwards, still flapping his wings, feeling his stomach twist but not in a bad way.



"Kid," Fu yelled so Jake could hear. "Stop flapping your wings and glide or you're going to stall!"

Jake stopped flapping and felt himself fall a little. "It's okay," Fu yelled and Jake resisted the urge to start flapping again. "Just try to find a comfortable position and stretch your wings."

Jake did and stretched his wings as much as he could. He felt almost like he was floating as he glided around the clearing, loosing altitude but at a steady rate.

"Okay, try to land," Fu suggested.

Jake tried to get to the ground slowly but he turned downwards too fast and landed face first into the ground with the grace of a rock. He groaned and pushed himself up, spitting out some grass that had managed to get into his mouth. Fu trotted over, chuckling. "Well, it was actually really good for a first try. Your landing could use some work though."

Jake glared at Fu while he wiped off his face on his sleeve. "Thanks for the advice," he said dryly.

"Are you going to try again?" Fu asked.

"Of course," Jake said and stood back up.

"Okay, but remember that we don't have a whole lot of time here," Fu reminded Jake. "Oh and next time you land, try landing on your feet. It might help a little bit."

Jake shrugged but he did take Fu's advice to heart. It was nice to actually have someone with him, explaining how things should go.

Jake readied himself again, this time concentrating on jumping before flapping his wings. It might be easier to get altitude if he wasn't already using up so much energy just to get into the air. He jumped once and tried to get into the air but he started too late and fell back to the ground, landing hard on his butt.

He heard Fu snort and stood up with as much dignity as he could muster and started to brush himself off. "It wasn't that funny," he muttered.

"No," Fu said while still chuckling. "You have the right idea, kid. That is how you should take off, but it did look funny."

Jake glared at Fu and got ready to try again. He bent his knees and took off again but this time he started to flap his wings too early and his body wasn't ready for the thrust. He fell out of balance in mid air and landed on his back.



Fu winced and trotted over to see if Jake was okay. Jake looked up at the dog who was looking down at him. He blinked stars from his eyes and coughed. He sat up and Fu backed off. "You okay?"

"I've had worse," Jake said again and stood up. "I'm gonna give that another go."

Fu stepped back and marveled at Jake's pain tolerance. It certainly was something when you could get up after falling three times and try what had made you fall again. Very impressive.

Jake tried the new way of taking off three more times before succeeding and actually making it into the air. He followed Fu's advice and glided down, this time tilting so that he landed on his feet. He slammed into the ground and landed on his butt, but this time it was far more controlled and didn't hurt anywhere near as much. Jake grinned at Fu who nodded. "Not bad, kid."

Jake stood up and brushed himself off. "Not bad?" he asked. "Fu, I am the mastah of flyin'," he said cockily. "No one's gonna be able to beat me once I practice more."

Fu sighed. He was wondering how long it was going to take Jake to become over confident. "Okay, kid. But now we need to get back."

"Okay, but lemme give this one more try," Jake asked.

"One more," Fu said.

Jake grinned and bent his knees. He jumped and took off, this time far more gracefully then he had done previously. He actually managed to get decent height before he began to glide and he was in far more control then he had been the first time. He smiled to himself, feeling very confident that he was entirely in control when a huge gust of wind came through the trees. He felt the wind pass underneath his wings and push him higher and further away from Fu.

"Kid, land!" Fu yelled.

Jake struggled to try and pull himself down but the wind was just too stiff. Finally he simply turned his wings downward and began to fall back to earth in a dive that Jake wasn't too sure he had as much control of as he would have liked. He came back down and saw that he was heading for a river of some kind and he tried to serve out of the way but by the time he had any semblance of control over his landing he was already a foot above diving head first into the water.

He shut his eyes and landed with a tremendous crash. The river was deep and he had to swim back up in order to get his head above water, which was difficult because his wings and tail were for flying, not swimming. He managed to break the surface and inhale before going back under, due to the face that he had no clue how to swim with his new body parts. The second time he broke the surface of the water, he felt someone grab his arm and pull him to the land. He felt his 

feet touch ground and quickly crawled out of the river, coughing and dripping wet. He felt someone pat his back and he turned to see who was helping him.

An extremely beautiful woman with long white hair and piercing blue eyes was staring back with a wry smile on her face. "Nice landing," she said dryly.

Jake coughed and then grinned. "Thanks, I thought so too."

* * *

Okay, next chapter in not bad time. Oh Jake, your dialogue makes me cry. Ah well, hopefully his actions make him seem more in character because I seem to know little to nothing about real slang. Regardless, flying, wheeeee! This was so much fun to write. I always figured flying would be something that he would totally rock at, even at the beginning because he already is the kind of person who likes to skateboard and snowboard and the like. And a cliffhanger, oh noes!

Anyways, once again I'm back at updating once a month and I plan to keep it that way. College just started but at least it's fairly manageable. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Hugs and cookies to my reviewers, thanks so much for your support!


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you all right?" Jake heard the woman who had pulled him out of the river ask. He shook his head to clear the water out of his eyes and nodded.

"Who're you?" Jake asked as he stood up, trying to shake off at least some of the water.

"She is the leader of the river nymphs in the U.S., kid. Her name is Crystal," Jake heard Fu say and he looked down to see the dog at his feet. "Nice landing," he added dryly.

"My landing was fine," Jake told Fu, "except for the falling into the river part."

"Most dragons I know don't enjoy flying into a river," the white haired lady said with a wry smile on her lips.

Jake shrugged, clearly not impressed with the mocking of his recently acquired flight skills. "It's not like I did it on purpose," he muttered.

"Sorry," she said with a small laugh. "But, I am wondering why the new American Dragon is outside and flying when I remember Lao Shi saying something at today's meeting along the lines of 'he needs to control his magic before he can use it outside in the city. Fu," she finished, eying the dog.

Fu shrugged sheepishly. "Hey, we've been indoors for days," Fu said breezily.

"It's dangerous," Crystal insisted. "You could get into trouble for letting him out here," she said in a quieter voice but Jake still heard every word clearly.

"Hey," he said, causing Crystal and Fu to both look up at him. "Don't yell at Fu, kay? I asked him to go out."

Crystal looked a little surprised and Fu sighed. "Kid, you shouldn't admit to someone when it's your fault when you can get into the most trouble."

"You could have said no," Crystal told Fu a little angrily.

"We had everything under control, except the river part. That… that wasn't really on the plan for today," Fu admitted.

"I just wanted get out for a bit," Jake told her. "It's not going so hot with the whole magic thing," he admitted.

Crystal eyed his wings and tail and pursed her lips together. "I imagine, your wingspan is huge for someone who hasn't even completely controlled his powers yet."

"That's what I said," Fu told her. "Unfortunately the hardest part is a little harder because of it."

Crystal sighed and looked at Jake and Fu. "Come with me, we'll get you cleaned up and call your grandfather."

"G?" Jake asked and immediately took a few steps away from Crystal. "Um, we don't have to, I mean…"

"Lao Shi needs to know where you are," Crystal told him. "I'll say that I wanted to show the new dragon around, if it makes you feel any better. But we need to leave, the human lunch hour is coming up and it will be harder to sneak out of central park when there are even more humans about."

Jake glanced down at Fu who shrugged then nodded. He then trotted up to Crystal who motioned for Jake to follow them and began to walk toward a different part of the park that Jake didn't even realize was there until he had walked into it. Fu spoke quietly while Jake began to look around, wondering where the heck they were. "Don't be too overwhelming," he murmured. "He just learned about himself and there are definitely some who are not happy about this country getting a dragon. We need to stick to the nymph's fields and the council areas."

"I'm not going to put him in any danger," Crystal promised. "But I've wanted to meet him for awhile and so has Ivy and some others. Lao Shi can come over once we call him, but I at least want to know what we're getting into."

Fu chuckled. "You have no idea," he said.

* * *

After walking for a good twenty minutes, Jake followed Crystal out of a grove of trees. He didn't think he would be tired but he was exhausted after walking that long in a part of the city he didn't even know existed. That was, if they were still in the city. "Why so far?" Jake asked, trying to catch his breath a little.

"Some are illusions, some of it is real. It's all just a precaution, we don't want humans stumbling upon us when they shouldn't," Crystal murmured.

"You don't like humans?" Jake asked as he wrung the last of the river water out of his shirt.

"I don't…trust humans," Crystal replied delicately. "I really don't have any reason to, either."

Jake looked as if he was about to reply but he felt a nudge from behind and he looked down to see Fu shaking his head furiously. Jake wisely made the decision to keep his comment to himself. Even he could tell that upsetting the woman in front of him would probably be a bad idea. Even so, as he followed her into a hidden passageway, he could help but say, "Not all humans are bad."

Fu groaned and Crystal turned around sharply and eyed the preteen dragon. "I'm aware of that, but it's somewhat difficult to tell who can and cannot be trusted, isn't it? Better to distrust everyone then take a chance that might endanger an entire population that's living under the city. If one of us is found, you can bet that the humans won't rest until everyone is found."

Jake bit his lower lip. It wasn't very often when he truly understood what an adult had to say to him but this was one of those times. He didn't really understand his mom's lectures about only skating a few times a week, because he would fall, no matter what. Why not just skate board all the time, it was almost like… how did his dad put it? Delaying the inevitable. Whatever that meant. But for some reason the words from Crystal stuck with him and he knew full well that one mistake really could mean such a thing and that only made him even more nervous.

Fu felt Jake shift nervously as they walked down the long corridor towards some kind of building and sighed quietly. He knew it was important for the kid to know about what being a dragon meant but at this rate he was going to be terrified from doing anything, let alone becoming the American dragon. What twelve year old wants to know that the fate of an entire underground population rested on his shoulders. Crystal's heart in the right place, but after living for several millennia, she had obviously lost her ability to talk to anyone younger than six hundred.

Crystal opened a final door and motioned for the two behind her to go inside. Jake went in first and Fu trotted behind him. They both heard Crystal close and lock the door behind them but Jake was too busy starting at everything and Fu was too busy keeping an eye on him to truly care what the Nymph was doing.

The room that the threesome had just walked into was huge and grandiose. The ceiling was almost invisible, it was so high up and the circular shape of the room just added to its size. Through the room ran a small stream down natural looking rapids. There was also several large oak trees to one side, some large boulders to another side and an empty, darkened hollow in one wall. Parts of the room were completely natural to the point where Jake wondered if they ever left Central Park but there were other parts of the room that were decorated and furnished for meetings or gatherings. There were some tables, many chairs, a few sitting cushions and some furnishings that Jake couldn't have guessed their functions even if he wanted to.

"This," Crystal said, breaking Jake's concentration. "Is the Camarilla's Meeting Hall."

"Who's meeting hall?" Jake asked, confused.

"Not who, what. Camarilla is a word that means a group of people under a leader, like a council or something like that. We call ourselves the Camarilla. The leaders of the United States Magical Underground," Crystal explained. "The Elven leader has a fondness for strange words and insisted we use that name. He is a bit odd, but very nice."

"Elven?" Jake asked. "Like, elves?"

"That would be the idea," Crystal said with a tiny smile. "We'll stay here for the time being, seeing as how this is one of the safest places in the United States. I am one of seven people with access to this room, so you don't need to worry, Fu."

Fu chuckled softly. "I've only been here once myself. Even gramps can't come into this room without someone's permission."

Jake looked surprised. "Even G? I thought he was the bossman around here."

Crystal smiled wryly. "No, Lao Shi is not our leader. Surely this has been explained to you," she asked.

"Yeah, kinda," Jake replied. "I mean I know something about being the American Dragon and stuff but I haven't really heard much else. I've been more keen on getting back to normal," he said with a nod towards his wings.

"Believe it or not," Crystal said as she pulled some water out of the river with a flick of her hand. "That is about as natural a form as you're ever going to have."

"Say wha?" Jake asked.

Crystal directed the small sphere of water until it rested between her palms without actually touching her hands. She walked over to a small box like structure and pulled out what was unmistakably a tea kettle. She streamed the water inside and set it on top of what now Jake guessed was a stove. "Come here," Crystal said, ignoring Jake's question.

Jake glanced down at Fu, who shrugged then nodded. Jake walked over to her and Crystal took a long look at him, as if really taking in his appearance for the first time. Jake squirmed under the unwanted scrutiny. "Yes?" he asked, a little rudely.

A smile quirked Crystal's lips. "Can you breathe fire yet?" she asked.

"I don't think…" Fu started but quieted down when Crystal gave him a piercing stare.

"No…" Jake said slowly. "Why?"

"Elemental magic is what comes most naturally. Perhaps if you learn to control your element, you'll be able to understand how to stop the chi flow more easily," Crystal explained.

"Okay," Jake said. "How?"

"Well, you naturally have the ability to breathe fire. In fact I would be shocked if you haven't accidentally done it already. You may not realize it but you probably have. Mostly it's about trusting what you want to happen to actually happen," Crystal explained.

"What?" Jake asked.

"Inhale and exhale while thinking that you'll actually be able to breathe fire," Crystal said with a small sigh.

"Last time I tried something like that I was stuck inside for two days," Jake said crossly.

"This will be easier, I promise. Not only that but if you catch it, you'll be able to hold your fire. Just like I did with water," Crystal explained.

Jake glanced at Fu again who nodded. "She's right, actually. I mean, gramps wouldn't explain it any differently. I don't know about trying any new magic without him around though."

"Oh, come now," Crystal said and turned back to the stove and pulled out a clear stone. "Let's see how powerful our new dragon is."

Something about the way Crystal said things made Jake uncomfortable but he bristled at the implication that he might be avoiding something because he couldn't do it. He could do anything if he wanted to. Before Fu could outright say no, Jake did exactly as Crystal said and inhaled into his hands. He shut it eyes and exhaled and pulled his hands away. He opened one eye slowly to see several flames dancing merrily in his palms. "Ha!" he said glaring at Crystal with a triumphant look.

Crystal looked a little surprised. "I can't say I've seen many to get it on the first try," she said quietly. Then she gave Jake a genuine smile. "Nice work." She held out the stone and placed it into Jakes palms and soon the fire vanished and the stone glowed orange. "Nice color too," she said. "Your fire is quite strong, Lao Shi will be proud."

"Um," Jake said slowly as she took the stone out of his hands. "What's that?"

"A special stone that can take on the powers of a magical element for a limited amount of time. Watch," she said and placed it into a small groove in the black box that her kettle full of water was on top of. The entire structure glowed red briefly then the stone simply continued to glow. "Now all we need is Ivy and we can have some tea."

"I learned how to breathe fire so you could make tea?" Jake asked, annoyed.

"Don't scoff at tea made by nymphs," Crystal said while waving her finger in Jake's face. "I'll go call Ivy."

Jake glared at her as she walked away, he was unsure if he liked her or not. She was so condescending it drove him crazy but he felt that somehow she was being amazingly protective and considerate and even though he had no real reason to think so, deep down he was truly flattered.

"Ivy should be here soon," Crystal said with a smile. "Then we'll call Lao Shi."

Jake decided that he didn't like her very much.

* * *

I am soooooo sorry it's taken forever to update. I had some insanely bad writer's block on this fic. But now I kinda have more of a direction I want to pull it in so yay for that. Thank you do much for sticking with me after all this. Cookies and hugs to my reviewers and the next chapter should come out much quicker.


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